FireEye research reveals two-thirds of email traffic wasn’t ‘clean’
during the first half of 2018
MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep. 12, 2018--
FireEye, Inc. (NASDAQ: FEYE), the intelligence-led security company,
today released the results of its Email Threat Report. Based on the
analysis of a sample set of over half-a-billion emails from 1H 2018,
FireEye found that less than a third (32%) of email traffic seen in the
first half of 2018 was considered ‘clean’ and actually delivered to an
inbox. The report also found that 1 in every 101 emails had malicious
intent. When compared to the previous six-month period1, the
changes in both these numbers depict that the email landscape continues
to see an increase in email-based threats.
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“Not only is email the most pervasive form of communication, it is also
the most popular vector for cyberattacks. This makes email the biggest
vulnerability for every organization,” said Ken Bagnall, vice president
of email security at FireEye. “From malware to malware-less attacks
including impersonation attacks like CEO fraud, a single malicious email
can cause significant brand damage and financial losses. By choosing an
email security solution with features based on real-time knowledge
gained from the frontlines, and by teaching users to always ensure they
are communicating with who they think they are, organizations can better
defend against attacks.”
Email reliance continues; cyber criminals adapt
With email security solutions focused on detecting malware, cyber
criminals are now adapting their attacks, exposing organizations to
malware-less assaults such as CEO fraud. In fact, the majority of
attacks blocked (90%) during analysis were malware-less, with phishing
attacks alone making up 81% of the blocked malware-less emails, almost
doubling from January to June 2018. Data also indicates that phishing
attacks will continue to rise, while impersonation attacks (which were
at 19%) remain relatively proportional to the total number of attacks
seen. With it only taking one email to potentially impact an entire
organization, the protection of this data must be taken seriously.
Other notable email attack trends
While the overall number of attacks stayed fairly consistent each month
during the evaluated six-month period, a few notable trends stuck out
relative to when and how attackers struck:
-
Relative to malware-based attacks, Mondays and Wednesdays were most
common
-
Malware-less attacks were most likely to occur on a Thursday including
domain name spoofing and attacks using a spoofed friendly user name,
with the exception of newly existing domains which peaked on
Wednesdays instead
-
Impersonation attacks were most likely to fall on a Friday
-
When it comes to the weekend, malware-less attacks continued to be
more prevalent than malware-based attacks, with domain name spoofing
attacks and newly existing domains being the most likely among them
Methodology & resources
The FireEye Email Threat Report is the result of FireEye’s analysis of a
sample set of over half-a-billion emails from January through June 2018.
For more information about ever-evolving malware and malware-less email
attacks, in-depth analysis of impersonation attacks and the current
tactics being used by the cyber criminals, check out this infographic,
or download
the full FireEye Email Threat Report.
For details on how FireEye Email Security protects users against
advanced email threats, including phishing, impersonation and spam,
visit www.fireeye.com/email.
About FireEye, Inc.
FireEye is the intelligence-led security company. Working as a seamless,
scalable extension of customer security operations, FireEye offers a
single platform that blends innovative security technologies,
nation-state grade threat intelligence, and world-renowned Mandiant®
consulting. With this approach, FireEye eliminates the complexity and
burden of cyber security for organizations struggling to prepare for,
prevent, and respond to cyber attacks. FireEye has over 7,100 customers
across 67 countries, including more than 45 percent of the Forbes Global
2000.
© 2018 FireEye, Inc. All rights reserved. FireEye and Mandiant are
registered trademarks or trademarks of FireEye, Inc. in the United
States and other countries. All other brands, products, or service names
are or may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.
1FireEye data from July through December 2017 revealed that
1 in every 131 emails was of malicious intent, and ‘clean’ email
reaching the inbox was slightly higher at 34%.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180912005256/en/
Source: FireEye, Inc.
FireEye, Inc.
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Dan Wire, 415-895-2101
dan.wire@fireeye.com
or
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Contact
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kate.patterson@fireeye.com
